Pauline epistles
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The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul (Παῦλος) as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents. They provide an insight into the beliefs and controversies of Early Christianity and, as part of the canon of the New Testament, they have also been, and continue to be, foundational to Christian theology and Christian ethics. Usually they are placed between the Book of Acts and the Catholic epistles. In minuscules 175, 325, 336, and 1424 the Pauline epistles are placed at the end of New Testament.
Order
In the order they appear in the New Testament, the Pauline epistles are:
| Name | Greek | Latin | Abbreviations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | Min. | ||||
| Romans | Πρὸς Ῥωμαίους | Epistola ad Romanos | Rom | Ro | |
| First Corinthians | Πρὸς Κορινθίους Αʹ | Epistola I ad Corinthios | 1 Cor | 1C | |
| Second Corinthians | Πρὸς Κορινθίους Βʹ | Epistola II ad Corinthios | 2 Cor | 2C | |
| Galatians | Πρὸς Γαλάτας | Epistola ad Galatas | Gal | G | |
| Ephesians | Πρὸς Ἐφεσίους | Epistola ad Ephesios | Eph | E | |
| Philippians | Πρὸς Φιλιππησίους | Epistola ad Philippenses | Phil | Phi | |
| Colossians | Προς Κολασσαεῖς | Epistola ad Colossenses | Col | C | |
| First Thessalonians | Πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς Αʹ | Epistola I ad Thessalonicenses | 1 Thess | 1Th | |
| Second Thessalonians | Πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς Βʹ | Epistola II ad Thessalonicenses | 2 Thess | 2Th | |
| First Timothy | Πρὸς Τιμόθεον Αʹ | Epistola I ad Timotheum | 1 Tim | 1T | |
| Second Timothy | Πρὸς Τιμόθεον Βʹ | Epistola II ad Timotheum | 2 Tim | 2T | |
| Titus | Πρὸς Τίτον | Epistola ad Titum | Tit | T | |
| Philemon | Πρὸς Φιλήμονα | Epistola ad Philemonem | Philem | P | |
This ordering is remarkably consistent in the manuscript tradition, with very few deviations. The evident principle of organization is descending length of the Greek text, but keeping the four Pastoral epistles addressed to individuals in a separate final section. The only anomaly is that Galatians precedes the slightly longer Ephesians.<ref name="Trobisch">Template:Cite book</ref>
In modern editions, the formally anonymous Epistle to the Hebrews is placed at the end of Paul's letters and before the General epistles. This practice was popularized through the 4th-century Vulgate by Jerome, who was aware of ancient doubts about its authorship, and is also followed in most medieval Byzantine manuscripts. With hardly any exceptions, though, the manuscripts do include Hebrews somewhere among Paul's letters.<ref name="Trobisch" />
The placement of Hebrews among the Pauline epistles is less consistent in the manuscripts:
- between Romans and 1 Corinthians (i.e., in order by length without splitting the Epistles to the Corinthians): Papyrus 46 and minuscules 103, 455, 1961, 1964, 1977, 1994.
- between 2 Corinthians and Galatians: minuscules 1930, 1978, and 2248
- between Galatians and Ephesians: implied by the numbering in B
- between 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy (i.e., before the Pastorals): א, A, B, C, H, I, P, 0150, 0151, and about 60 minuscules (e.g. 218, 632)
- after Philemon: D, 048, E, K, L and the majority of minuscules.
- omitted: F and G
